The combined wealth of the world’s 85 richest people is equal to that of the poorest half of the entire global population – almost 3.5 billion people.﻿

The list of billionaires in the world has surpassed 2000 members for the first time, at least 67 countries now home to at least one person with a personal wealth valued at more than US$1 billion, according to the 2015 Hurun Global Rich List.

The country with most billionaires is India, followed by Russia and the United Kingdom. According to the list, only 40 members of the club are under 40 years old, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who broke into the top 10 for the first time with an estimated wealth of US$44 billion.

The Microsoft founder Bill Gates, 59, is still the richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of US$85 billion followed by Mexico's telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim with US$83 billion. U.S. investor business magnate Warren Buffett is third on the list with $76 billion.

According to Oxfam, the number of billionaires in the world has doubled since the 2008 economic crisis, which also coincides with a growth in global wealth disparity. The combined wealth of the world’s 85 richest people is equal to that of the poorest half of the entire global population – almost 3.5 billion people.